Showing posts sorted by date for query V-BC. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query V-BC. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Some massive transportation projects in Metro Vancouver

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emSr9NLwfT4 

Unfortunately, the Broadway+Subway will only open with the potential of 5 car trains, not 10. 

Unfortunately, the YVR-Canada+Line wasn't even designed to have 5 car trains, only a potential of 2.5 car trains, someday. 

Of course the Massey+Tunnel+replacement wasn't designed to have an LRT and BRT section. Thus, in addition to the basic 3 lanes each way, there will be an express bus lane that might also be for other HOVs.

A separate BRT section would be beneficial since BC doesn't want to run 24hr trains. Thus, when the LRT is shutdown for maintenance, a 24hr BRT line could still be running. Unfortunately, part of the BC Mind Virus is backwards thinking and inept infrastructure planning. Of course there is still no official plan to have LRT from YVR to the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal anytime soon.

Saturday, August 1, 2026

How Zürich fixed the commuter train problem

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cvuthXbTDQ 

This is the type of intercity train that could link some BC cities like Victoria with Nanaimo, Vancouver with Abbotsford & Chilliwack. Kelowna, Vernon & Penticton. Kamloops and Prince George. Prince Rupert & Kitimat with PG. Unfortunately, with the slow mindset and backwards approach to things in BC, it might not happen for a very long time.

Friday, July 10, 2026

North Vancouver aquatic and community centre opens this month

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/harry-jerome-community-recreation-centre-north-vancouver-july-2026-opening-date 

While a 25m lap pool is OK for North Vancouver, its a joke for Vancouver. 

https://www.cnv.org/City-Hall/About/Capital-Projects/Harry-Jerome-Community-Recreation-Centre/About-the-Centre 

https://www.dnv.org/parks-trails-recreation/new-community-recreation-centre-lynn-creek 

https://www.hdrinc.com/ca/portfolio/delbrook-community-recreation-centre Delbrook is also only 25 m.



Of course the Vancouver Aquatic Centre rebuild with only a  25-metre pool, not matching its former 50 m. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-councillor-approve-aquatic-centre-funding-1.7565385 

"What happens when a city completely ignores a binding voter decision and spends 65% more taxpayer money to deliver 50% less of what was promised?" https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2025/07/30/vancouvers-vac-50meter-pool-betrayal-legal-crowdfunding/ 

Pay more, get LE$$, that's the backwards BC way.

https://www.canadianarchitect.com/vancouver-aquatic-centre/  

The space & building was there for several decades with a 50 m clearance. 

https://www.actonostry.ca/work/current/vancouver-aquatic-centre 

Yet somehow, the new building will only have a half-length pool. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-aquatic-centre-court-injunction-9.7245890 

Think small and build small, because its backwards Vancouver.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/a-betrayal-swimmers-head-to-court-seeking-to-block-aquatic-centre-downsizing

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1ufe9gs/tbt_rip_vancouver_aquatic_centre_may_3_1974_june/


NV

V-BC

Story Bridge and Clem Jones Tunnel vs the inadequat LGB

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_Bridge 3 lanes each way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clem_Jones_Tunnel (CJT) 2 lanes each way. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clem_Jones_Tunnel#Public_transport

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Story+Bridge 


The+Missing+Element in backwards BC.

In contrast, Vancouver is stuck with a 3 lane LGB, with no parallel bus, truck and train tunnels. If visiting Vancouver from Brisbane, or almost any Australian city or town, you will be shocked. While Australia is allowed to have 3 big port cities on the Pacific Rim (Mel Syd & Bris), Canada has taken a Half-A$$ED approach.


While the Port_of_Prince_Rupert has a lot of potential, most of it remains as a watered down front. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Prince_Rupert#Conversion_to_an_intermodal_terminal 


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Harbour_(British_Columbia)#Facilities

https://gvha.ca/deep-water-terminal/terminal-information/ V-BC has potential, but its also so scaled back or watered down. 

Despite Victoria wanting to remain as a quaint provincial backwater, it should eventually become a proper port city like Wellingtonhttps://www.centreport.co.nz/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentrePort_Wellington#Containers 


Port of Vancouver, BC.

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Are People Moving To Seattle For The Weather?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvEwubAId_g 

While Seattle doesn't quite get as much rain as Vancouver, BC, you still have to endure half a year of cold, damp & dreary weather. At least there usually isn't that much snow to shovel in the middle of winter.

Perhaps some people are getting fed up with 100F summers in other places. 

While L.A. can easily have some 100F summer days, that's hardly the case in S.F. Indeed, SF doesn't get as hot as LA in the summer or as cold as Seattle in the winter. Honolulu just might have the best overall weather, not quite as hot during the summers in Miami and LA.

Sunday, June 21, 2026

How the Seattle to Vancouver area could become a megaregion

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POcg0oFvVf8 

The larger Portland, Seattle and the Vancouver, BC (V-BC) region has a lot of growth potential. However, Seattle size buildings haven't been allowed in Portland and in Vancouver, BC. Nothing like a 12 lane Ship Canal Bridge has been allowed in Portland and Vancouver. While Oregon and backwater BC haven't been able to thwart the largest city in Washington State, Seattle might eventually become more of a magnet in pulling more people into the area between Portland and V-BC. 

Right now, Vancouver, WA (V-WA) still has a wider bridge than V-BC. Most of the V-BC bridges are so damn narrow that its not possible to have an efficient regional express bus network. As long as there is a refusal to build proper BRT bridges as part of a regional system, it remains a sad joke. 

The Skytrain (LRT) was built with shorter stations than what the underground stations in Seattle and Edmonton are at. Whenever possible, the Skytrain stations are shorter than the C Train stations in Calgary, DART stations in Dallas and even the Max in Portland. 

The biggest mistake of the Skytrain was to not build all of the stations with a future level clearance to eventually have Montreal Metro size stations of 500 feet or 152.5 m. Instead, the first 2 lines only have 80 m stations and the line to YVR (The Canada embarrassment Line) is only 50 m. Backwater BC logic is that a 5 car Skytrain could run twice as frequent as a 9 car Montreal Metro train. Someday, a 2.5 car YVR-Canada Line train could also run much more frequently than a 9 car Montreal Metro train. 

There is just one key problem with that type of BC logic. While initially constructing short stations and having short trains can save money, its not proper BIG city size infrastructure. In the long run, it costs more to try to lengthen stations for longer BIG city type trains. 

Thursday, June 18, 2026

History of British Columbia's Tallest Towers

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rr1WUJNZVE 


No office tower in Vancouver has been allowed to have a 40th floor. In fact, there are no 40 story office towers anywhere in BC.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Can the SkyTrain in BC, Canada ever become a very high capacity system?

 Why BC, Canada Got it Right With its New SkyTrain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqo_KAEF81k 

The argument is that a mostly elevated train can move more people than an 8-10 lane elevated freeway, at much less the cost. However, any major urban grade-separated LRT system should be designed to eventually become a very high capacity conduit.

The first 2 lines only have 80 m stations, which are just a little more than half the length of a 152.5 m Montreal Metro station. Unfortunately, the line to Richmond only has a designed level clearance for 50 m stations, not even quite a 3rd of the length of a Montreal Metro station platform. 

While it might seem economical to opt for short trains and stations, the Skytrain stations should have still been designed to eventually become more like a proper big city train station allowing for much higher capacity. 

The first 2 lines can run the newest 5 car trains, but the 3rd line can only run 2.5 car trains, some day.

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Opposition to Canadian high-speed rail project grows

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaBTC6ihflo 

Japan is so much smaller than Canada, yet they found the room for a fast train network. Switzerland can fit into BC 23 times and they were able to have an extensive railway system in a small area. 

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Seoul's Subway System Is Decades Ahead of many others

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlGQDpx4xg 

While there could be a reasonable argument that if a subway or elevated line isn't expected to be that busy in its first few years, then just build half-size stations and run half-length trains. However, in the case of backwards Vancouver, what should have been stations that were designed to accommodate at least 5 car trains, were only designed for an eventual 2.5 car train. Thus, it will be challenging enough just to modify the incredibly short Canada Line stations to gradually accommodate 3 full-size 20 m cars, not just some 2.5 car joke of a train for a 50 m station. 

Fortunately the Skyline_(Honolulu) stations can accommodate a 4 car train right from the start. Someday, with SDO a 4 car train could become a 6 car train.

If Selective+Door+Operation (SDO) can ever be implemented on the YVR-Canada Line then it can go from being a 2 car joke of a train to a 3 car attempt of a train. Then, once people got used to 3 car trains, an extra car could be added at both ends, thus allowing for a 5 car train. 

Ultimately, the YVR-Canada+Line should have been designed as a proper big-city size train with 8-10 cars. There seems to be such a lack of proper long-term transportation infrastructure planning in BC. To just build a small-scale line as a symbolic demonstration of reluctance towards the Pacific Rim is so absurd. 

Fortunately, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane never opted for such a short train.  


There Is a Hidden City Under Seoul Nobody Talks About. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIewf8sOZ0I

Friday, May 22, 2026

Telus Boot Tower or just another office stump in BC?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJqr-6j3yww This would be an impressive building if it was in Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops or Prince George. Even in Lethbridge and Spokane, but not in Calgary or Seattle. That's because they been allowed to be proper big cities.

Its not even 25 stories, just like the Post office complex, but if it had at least 50 floors it would have been quite an impressive office tower for BC. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1jav5f9/burnaby_approves_bc_tel_boot_redevelopment_5/ Acording to this rendering, the main part of the Telus boot stump will still be around. Its only a smaller part of its base that will face demolition.

https://www.jarmanrealestate.com/burnaby-telus-boot-redevelopment/

Burnaby or Surrey will likely have the first office tower in BC that's at least 45 stories in the next few years. Vancouver won't permit any office tower to have a 40th floor.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/3696-kingsway-vancouver-telus-rental-housing-tower Across the street, not a 50, only a 25 story residential stump. 

Boundary Road should have already had an express bus service and eventually a rapid bus route connecting Burnaby to North Vancouver and Richmond. Unfortunately, Vancouver still doesn't seem interested in having a B.Rd. bridge to NV and Richmond, even if it would improve on regional transportation.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Long lost traffic lanes of Greater Vancouver

 https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1tfsdxg/long_lost_days One of the few major streets within Vancouver to be at least 6 lanes wide. However, with curb lane parking it just becomes another 4 lane corridor in BC.

https://www.vancouverarchives.ca/wp-content/uploads/cropped-a9b22bf7-d985-4372-9650-7a51afbe5f94-2010-006.161-2-3.jpg This part of Granville used to have 6 lanes. The 1970s mall reduced it to just 2 lanes, causing an instant bus bottleneck-chokepoint. A 4 lane compromise still would have allowed for wider sidewalks. A 4 lane transit mall could have allowed for a constant passing lane when another bus has stopped. It was as if someone didn't want to have an efficient bus corridor for express buses, as well as local busses. When a local bus stops on a 2 lane street, its impossible for an express bus to pass, especially when there is a stopped bus on the other lane, also preventing any express bus to pass.

Several cities around the world still have wide streets, boulevards and avenues with 8-10 lanes. If Vancouver had allowed some 8 lane wide streets, 2 curb parking lanes would still provide 6 traffic lanes. Then, if 2 lanes were for buses, there would still be 2 lanes each way for general traffic.

The public and then the planning department (after being pressured) were firmly against having freeways within the city limits during the 1960s and 70s. However, there still should have been enough logic to allow for wider streets so that it would be easier and more efficient to have a bus lane each way. 

As of 2026, no bridge within the Vancouver city limits has 8 lanes and only two bridges have 6 lanes. One has 5 lanes and then there are four 4 lane bridges and the 3 lane Lion Bridge joke. 

All of the Vancouver bridges are so narrow that there was no provision for any future bus lanes. Plus, 2 bridges each had 2 lanes removed that could have been used for buses. Congestive transportation planning is the name of the game for backwards Vancouver. If there ever was a city that needs a series of bus bridges, it would be stubborn Vancouver. 

Even the Greater Vancouver region is lacking in having a series of bus bridges, especially since the Skytrain isn't a 24 hour system.


https://www.vancouverarchives.ca/2011/04/18/how-did-harland-bartholomews-ideas-shape-vancouver

https://archive.org/details/vancplanincgen00vanc The Bartholomew Plan published in 1928.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouver-archives/albums/72157626484421302/ 

https://globalcivic.org/harland-bartholomew/

https://www.urbanstudio.sala.ubc.ca/2010/lectures/Sept21_presentations/2_TheBasics.pdf 

https://samsullivan.ca/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-legacy-of-harland-bartholomew-and-his-plan-for-vancouver-2 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIuAk1TIKHo

https://archive.org/details/planforcityofvan00vanc 1930

Sunday, May 17, 2026

The Broadway Subway-Mount Pleasant to Broadway City Hall

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64SisMwIuY 

Another illogical lane reduction project. Broadway was for the most part, always 6 lanes, 7, if you count the turning lane at major intersections. The train isn't a 24 hour service, so its important to always have 1 bus lane each way, especially if the train is shut down for an occasional emergency. Then there still should be 2 general lanes each way, because this isn't supposed to be a small town street or avenue. 

This, combined with so many 4 lane bridges, ensures that BC bottleneck-chokepoint planning remains firmly entrenched. 

A 5 car Vancouver train is expected to do the job of a 9 car Montreal Metro train. That's because a short Vancouver train can run a little more frequently than a 9 car Montreal Metro train, during even the most busy times of the day. Of course many proper cities have long big-city trains, because they aren't under anything like small thinking Vancouver, or a backwater BC mentality.

The standard short trains, narrow bridges & narrow streets and short buildings, are all part of holding the scale of Vancouver back. Apparently, if you can't build a wall around Vancouver, the next best thing is to continually plan and build symbolically for a provincial backwater of a city. 


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Selective+Door+Operation